Pages

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

DL:
Holly, it’s super exciting that we both have new books out this month. You have
NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID and I have RUBY STARR. I love that you have created a
book of poetry for middle grade readers. What do you enjoy most about writing
for 7-12 year old readers?

HS: It is exciting! Congrats on RUBY STARR.

I think MG readers are really our “sponge”
readers—soaking up and learning all about the world around them. It’s fantastic
how interested they are in everything; I can feel it leak through the screen
during Skypes. In the upper end of the MG readership, it also seems like
they’re really straddling the line, developing more mature, teen-like interests
but aren’t ready yet to completely ditch their interests from childhood. NOBODY
SANG LIKE KATY DID let me tap into all that: I introduce those sponge-like readers
to the villanelle, a type of formal poetry (the book as a whole is a single
poem), and I also provide visual art throughout that combines more mature
looking photography with younger-reader-style watercolor and colored pencil drawings.

I think my vision of an MG reader has also been shaped
greatly by the interactions I’ve had with students as I promoted my first MG,
THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY. How have your own interactions with young
readers (or your own kids) changed or influenced your idea of what an MG reader
is?

DL:
I love your description of MG readers. I think they are the very best of
readers because they become invested in the stories they read. The thing I have
learned from my interactions with them and also from my daughters and their
friends is that they pay very close attention to detail. I have been asked some
very deep questions by MG readers and in most cases, they are about things
other readers have failed to pinpoint.This always impresses me and makes me strive harder to write stories
that will give them lots to think about and discover within the pages. My main
character Ruby is one of these readers. She loves books. I have lots of things
I love about her, but my favorite thing has to be Ruby’s sense of humor. She
makes me laugh while I am writing the words down. What is your favorite thing
about NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID?

HS: I agree—humor is so important, especially for this
age group. (And the writing of anything humorous is just so much fun. We always
say if we’re not crying, our readers won’t be crying or emotionally involved,
either—but it’s so important to remember the same can be said for laughing!) My
favorite parts of NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID are the pages in the back that
guide young readers through writing their own first villanelle. It’s not a form
of poetry usually discussed in the elementary levels—it’s often not discussed
until high school, when students read Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into
that good night,” arguably the most recognizable villanelle ever written. I
love the idea of kids taking the plunge, writing formal poetry, accomplishing
something they may not have thought was even possible.

I think, though, that most writers of juvenile lit
hope their work leaves a thumbprint of some kind on their readers—what do you
hope readers take away from RUBY STARR?

DL:
I think it’s a wonderful way to end your book with inspiration for young
readers to write their own villanelle! I hope you will post some of their poems
on your blog. I can’t wait to read them. In RUBY STARR, Ruby references her
favorite books throughout the story and I hope readers will connect with her love
of books and be inspired to read more. I am also posting book club questions on
my blog for some of Ruby’s favorites and some new books so that MG readers can
start their own book clubs just like Ruby. There is a common theme in all my
books about being true to yourself and this theme is also present in Ruby’s
stories. It’s something I hope all my readers take away from my books. Here’s a
super hard question: Name your favorite middle grade book of all time. I would
have to say ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS. I just re-read it for the book club I
am hosting on my blog and the book still touches me just as much as it did when
I first read it. I also love BLACK BEAUTY because it takes us inside the mind
of a horse and shows us the way to compassion for animals and others in a
poignant way.

HS: That’s not just hard, that’s impossible! I feel
like I have a new favorite MG book every time I pick up a new read. Having
grown up with Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary, I have to say I have a special
place in my heart for contemporary realism. I think a lot of times, authors of
juvenile lit start gravitating toward magic or supernatural or fairy tale-type
stories because it feels to us like contemporary stories of growing up have all
been done before—we feel like we’re traveling the same ground. But it’s not old
territory to our readers! They’re all living through being ten, eleven, twelve
for the first time. I think it’s still really important to give them
contemporary stories showing smart, resourceful, good-hearted peers navigating
through sticky situations, becoming the heroes of their own lives in a setting
that feels modern and real and of their own world. (The concepts in kid lit
from decades past might cover some of the same topics—friendship, divorce,
first crush, etc.—but today’s kids won’t relate as well to a book in which
characters listen to records, don’t have cell phones, there is no internet,
etc.)

I do think, too, that many writers of kid lit were
voracious readers themselves when they were young—did you have an “ah-ha!”
moment with one of those books—did a specific book make you want to become a
writer?

DL:
All you had to say was Judy Blume! She definitely influenced my love of books.
ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS is the book that always touched my heart and made
me want to write for MG readers. A WRINKLE IN TIME is another book that opened
my eyes to possibilities and the creativity of writing. I am also a Jane Austen
fan. I have always been in awe of what all of these authors could do and the
way they could turn words into stories that would take us on journeys into our
imaginations. It took me years to be brave enough to try it myself. Did you
learn anything about the craft of writing while working on NOBODY SANG LIKE
KATY DID? This is the first time I have written a sequel, so I learned a lot
about tracking my facts.

HS: I love that I got to delve so deep into poetry
here—poetry’s an old love, and I included some poems in my first novel, A BLUE
SO DARK (YA), but this is truly my first story in verse. Really, though, the
learning curve was with the illustration. I’ve been moving into doing more and
more artwork since I started releasing my own independent work a couple of
years ago, but for NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID, I was responsible for everything
you see in the book—the photos, drawings, design for both the interior and the
cover. The only things I didn’t create on my own were the fonts! (Those came
from Creative Market, a great site for original commercial use fonts.) The
drawings for KATY DID were all done in traditional media—watercolor and colored
pencils. Then, I scanned the drawings and cut them out digitally using
Photoshop, combining them with photographic elements and backgrounds. I
couldn’t have done it without my Wacom drawing tablet (I use the Intuous Pro).
Even if you’re doing cover art rather than full-blown illustration, the drawing
tablet really opens you up to all sorts of new possibilities, allows you to
accomplish effects you couldn’t achieve relying solely on your mouse.

I’ve written a sequel myself, and it’s amazing how much
you forget between book #1 and book #2. How did you accomplish fact tracking?
Any tips?

DL:
I am so impressed that you created the artwork as well as the poetry. You are a
creative force! Your artwork is stunning and it goes seamlessly with the poetry.
I would imagine this was a wonderful process to create the entire project
yourself. (My teenage daughter is an artist and has the Wacom Intuous Pro
drawing tablet as well. She loves it.) For my work on RUBY, I finished editing
Book #1 and then began writing Book #2 so there wasn’t too much of a time lapse
between them. That helped a lot in terms of fact tracking. But I did create a
document for myself with important facts which was really useful. I also kept
the Book #1 manuscript on my desk while working for quick references and to
ensure continuity. It’s really wonderful to be able to revisit a character and
setting and write a new story with them. I am enjoying the process so much! I am
always so impressed that you are brave enough to jump into different genres and
you do it so successfully. What’s your secret?

HS: Just break it apart, whatever the job is. Don’t
get overwhelmed. Trying a new writing genre? Start simply—what are the main
features you HAVE to hit for a work to be considered reflective of the genre?
(For example, a romance has to have a happily ever after or at least a happy
for now ending.) Then, what are the traditional beats for that genre? (It’s
fine to play with this, but you should know what the rules are before you break
them.) From there, you can begin plotting and outlining your book, just as you
did with books in the genre you were previously writing in. Or, if you’re
moving from traditional publishing to indie pubbing: every single job an indie
author takes on can also be broken down into smaller chunks. Need to create
your first cover? A cover is, in its simplest form, an image with a title on
it. So—to start, don’t worry about anything but finding the right image: Do you
know a photographer? Will you use a stock photo? Take a photo yourself? Draw
something? Just get the image. THEN: figure out how you want to edit the photo
/ get the title on it. A ton of free resources are available (GIMP’s great for
e-book covers). Same with formatting—it can be broken into smaller jobs, too.
(I recommend Scrivener and Ed Ditto’s formatting book to get started.) I mean,
in order to write a book in the first place, you have to break it into smaller,
manageable daily chunks, right? Same with any new writing or publishing task
you’d like to take on. You’re not going to get it all done in a day; it’ll take
some herky-jerky, wonky first attempts. But you’ll get there if you just keep
at it. (And trust me—YouTube instructional videos are definitely your friend.)

What’s one job you’ve taken on in your own writing
career that you never would have thought you’d have to tackle? How’d you work
through it?

DL:
You have the best attitude. I am sure that is the single ingredient that holds
it all together for you. You see possibilities in every genre and you don’t
limit yourself. It’s really inspirational. The job that I never really thought
about before I had my first book published was the PR aspect of the job. I
thought about talking to readers and maybe speaking at a conference, but it was
the actual promotion of the book that was more of a surprise and it is the most
difficult for me. It takes time away from actually writing and also can be difficult
to accomplish, and yet, the success of the book hinges on a writer’s efforts. The
publishing house does handle some of the promotion, but only to a certain
extent. The rest is left up to the author and with social media, there is a lot
of pressure on your presence. I prefer writing to tweeting! You mentioned
Scrivener. You’re the one who convinced me to try Scrivener and now I am
completely hooked. What’s your best Scrivener tip?

HS: I love Scrivener so much. I can’t imagine writing
a book without it. I think the most useful feature is the binder—even more so
than the cork board. That binder, running along the left-hand side, tells me
where I’m at in the book every single time I sit back down to work—I’m reminded
of what chapters came before, what comes next; it really helps with pacing.
Also, it lets me easily bounce back up to a previous chapter and plug something
in (about character or plot) when I get a new idea. I’ve been relying on
split-screen with my current WIP—I have two files open, usually the chapter I’m
currently drafting and either a previous version of the chapter or a cut file,
where I can easily take out phrases or passages that don’t quite fit (but that
I still like) and store them until the exact-right place for the line comes
along.

What’s your own best Scrivener tip? What kind of WIP
do you have going in your current Scrivener file right now (what can readers
expect next)?

DL:
I love the binder, too! I have been working on an Austenesque historical and
the binder has been so helpful because I have been working a lot on Ruby. When
I come back to my historical, sometimes I need to bounce around to check things
I have already established. I also love the character sketches. I think they
are really helpful in organizing my thoughts about each character and having
them available as I write. My best Scrivener tip is to read other blogs about
Scrivener. I have learned everything from you and from other writers who have
shared their own tips for using the program. It really is an incredible tool
for writers. Up next, I will have Book #2 of RUBY STARR followed by Book #3
both of which will be new adventures in reading and in Ruby’s world.

Thanks
Holly for chatting with me today! NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID is available at
Amazon as an e-book or paperback. For more information about RUBY
STARR, you can go to www.deborahlytton.com.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

I am a lifelong music nut. SERIOUS nut. Most of the time, I think I’d rather have music than food.

In fact, this picture offers a bit of proof—that’s me, in about 1992,
with a member of Tesla (who’s in the midst of signing his autograph).
Because in addition to seeing as many concerts as I possibly could, I
also used to do my fair share of autograph hunting—anything to get just a
little bit closer to my favorite musicians. As many of you already
know, I even taught piano and guitar lessons as I was drafting my
earliest manuscripts—and my students actually inspired me to write for
younger readers.

As an old literature major, I’m also a poetry nut. I’ve hung out at
as many poetry readings as I have concert doors—but for some reason, it
never crossed my mind to get a shot taken with, say, Miller Williams
(Clinton’s second inaugural poet) when I heard him read his work.

My
latest release, a picture book for more advanced readers entitled
NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID, combines my lifelong loves of music and
poetry:

ROCK STARS ARE COOL. SO IS POETRY.

Saturday night just isn’t Saturday night without Katy Did and The
Antennas. At least, until a rotten review leaves Katy’s bandmates
thinking maybe they could do better with another singer.
What’s a Katy Did to do when she’s been dumped for a Songbird?
~
Featuring a main character who is both literally a katydid insect and the singer in her own band, NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID
offers a story of perseverance and finding beauty in unexpected places
as well as a fun, attention-grabbing way to introduce young readers to
formal poetry. The book itself is a villanelle, a type of poetry that
features refrains that repeat throughout—much like the chorus in a rock
song. Great for classroom use and for readers in the fourth to sixth
grade. Sheets in the back of the book walk budding poets through writing
their own first villanelle.

Why a villanelle?

It’s not as frequently studied as some other poetic forms, especially
in the elementary levels. I find it’s a form not usually discussed much
until high school, actually, when students read Dylan Thomas’s “Do not
go gentle into that good night,” arguably the most famous or most
recognizable villanelle ever written.

Don’t worry—it’s not too sophisticated.

Kids in this age group (about 9-12) are straddling the line between
childhood and slightly more grown-up interests. That’s why this book
(which is, from front to back, a single villanelle) is also a picture
book, featuring both photographic and illustrative elements—and a
katydid lead singer with bright red hair, no less!

The Importance of Poetry

I was so delighted to see Tracy K. Smith (our current poet laureate)
on CBS This Morning, discussing the accessibility of poetry. I also
believe that poetry is what our youngest readers naturally gravitate
toward. And yet, somewhere along the way, readers become intimidated by
it. It’s my hope that NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID helps to continue to make formal poetry both accessible and fun for your young readers.

Snag a Copy

NOBODY SANG LIKE KATY DID is available on Amazon as both an e-book and paperback. For those who incorporate the book into their own classroom or library activities, I can always be reached at hollyschindlerbooks@gmail.com for Skype visits.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

It is a pleasure to feature middle grade author Kathleen Burkinshaw whose book - THE LAST CHERRY BLOSSOM - takes place in Hiroshima, Japan in the months leading up to the dropping of the atomic bomb in WWII. August 6 was the 72nd anniversary of that event. Here's Kathleen:

The writing journey of The
Last Cherry Blossombegan about 8 years ago with one question.My daughter was in 7th grade at
the time and was upset about something that happened in her history class. She
said they would be covering the end of WWII and overheard some kids talking
about how they couldn’t wait to see the “cool mushroom cloud picture”. She
asked if I would speak to her class about the people under the mushroom cloud
that day, people like her grandmother.

I called and asked my mother if it was okay to talk about
her experience in Hiroshima that horrific day.My mom was a very private person, and never spoke about it in public.
When I was a young child, she told me she came from Tokyo.Once she confided in me that she was born in
Hiroshima and lost her home, family and friends on August 6th, she
asked that I never speak of it either. It was too painful and she didn’t want
to draw attention to herself.

But this day she gave me her blessing to discuss what she
experienced on August 6th.She felt that
since the students would be about the same age she was (12-years-old), maybe they
would relate to her story. As future voters, she hoped they would remember that
nuclear weapons should never be used again.

I spoke to my daughter’s class a week after the phone call.
The following year I received requests from other local schools. I had been
writing about my mom’s survival of the atomic bomb for my own and my daughter’s
benefit.But soon teachers inquired if I
had a book that could complement their curriculum. Then the real work began!

Most amazing moment since writing
the book?

It’s hard to choose but I have 3 firsts at different stages
after writing the book.The first most
amazing moment was when I showed my mom the publishing contract and to see her
face and tell me how proud she was that I would do this for her. Perhaps I do
treasure this most of all because she passed away 2 months later.

The second moment was when I held the printed copy in my
hands, seeing my name on it, smelling the new pages. I still get that same rush
whenever I see it on a book shelf.

The third was when received my first fan mail. One a letter
from a student who didn’t like reading, but after reading my book wanted to
read more books!

Friday, August 11, 2017

by Jody Feldman

This past Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, I threw aside my revision schedule, took a deep breath, and fully rewrote Chapter 8 three times. Three unique times.

Why?

Feedback from very reliable sources told me they couldn’t relate to my characters. Not good, the reaction. Good, that it made me think. Did I know my characters well enough? Did I understand why they acted the way they did? Did I truly realize what formed the foundations of their emotional motivations?In three words, no, No, NO.And so I took the time and the effort to rewrite a new Chapter 8, each day, from the point of view of a different secondary character.

Why Chapter 8?

It’s the one where all four (those three plus my main character) are present for all but the first couple minutes. More important, it's the one where they start forming a relationship that will last for the duration of the book.

The outcome?

Those for-me-only chapters? Some of the most empowering writing I have ever done. Suddenly, these kids came alive to me. I could hear their voices. I could feel their vulnerabilities. I could see where they would excel. And I can tell you exactly why.That the very excellent news. The less-than-excellent news is not so bad either. On Wednesday, I restarted my revision, necessarily changing some of my favorite dialogue lines and altering about 80% of the actions and reactions. But this little bit of time, in the scheme of things, has brought me such clarity that I’m still floating on a cloud of character knowledge. And I’ve never been so eager to get back to work.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

I always post on the 8th day of the month. Today it's the 8th day of the 8th month -- an infinite infinite -- if there were such a thing. Actually, in writing a story there is.

Anything is possible when we create. There are an infinite number of stories and an infinite number of ways to tell those stories. That's exciting! That's overwhelming! How can we decide without writing an infinite number of drafts to test them all out?

In my current work in progress, kids journey from one part of Manhattan to Brooklyn. As you can see from this map, there are infinite routes they could take. Every block teems with possibilities for adventures.

I narrowed down my choices by giving myself some parameters. They might be useful for you too. Even if your W.I.P. isn't a trek, your characters will be on some sort of journey.

1. What locations fit my themes? In my W.I.P. I want to celebrate the vibrancy of NYC. So the characters MUST visit Times Square. They can skip the lobby of the Plaza Hotel.

2. What pathways give my characters the best chance to be active? A carriage ride through Central Park is pleasant, but if they can't drive the carriage or ride the horse, then it's better if they walk.

3. What events are fun for the reader? And by fun, I mean scary, exciting, suspenseful, and humorous? I like to insert treats along the way. Where and how will we find them?

4. What's logical? One step will lead to another. My characters won't be finding a wormhole that takes them from Times Square to Chinatown.

Monday, August 7, 2017

GAMER SQUAD is a fun
adventure series about a group of gamer kids who have to save their town from
mobile game related disasters. The books have humor and heart, portray
friendship ups and downs, encourage girls in STEM, and focus on a love for
community. I have had a ton of fun writing them and can’t wait to hear what
readers think!

You're a lifelong gamer--how did that play into the inspiration /
drafting of the GAMER SQUAD? Is your son old enough to game yet? Did he have
any editorial input into the series?

My husband, my teenage
son, and I are all varying degrees of gamers. I actually got the idea for this
series while playing a game with my son! I definitely ran some plot points past
both of them and used them as sounding boards, which was a whole lot of fun. If
I could go back in time to the ‘80s and tell little me (who was probably
playing a game on my Commodore 64) that I would one day write a book series
about a group of gaming kids who save their town…little me would be delighted.
It’s been so much fun to write these books, both for the kids out there now and
the little kid inside me.

What's your take on screen time and kids?

I think, as with most
things, it’s best in moderation. I try to remind myself of that daily. ;)

Each book comes with its own unique challenges. What was hard /
unique about writing the GAMER SQUAD? What surprised you?

All of my other books
have been mysteries. GAMER SQUAD is my first project that’s more of an
adventure series. So it was different to write and plan. I didn’t have to think
about clues and planting red herrings, but I had to learn how to write without having
the structure of a mystery to hold onto.

Releasing two books on the same day--I'm intrigued by this idea!
Tell us about the decision to release the first two at once.

I love that Sterling
released the first two books in the series on the same day (August 1st).
I don’t know the details about what went into the decision from their
perspective, but for me I love it for many reasons. With middle grade series,
by the time the next book comes out, you’ve lost some readers who have aged out
and are now reading YA. So I love that kids can move right on to the next book
if they loved the first. No waiting! I also think the beginning of August is a
great time for this. These books are wonderful summer choices for reluctant
readers. They’re fun, adventurous, and humorous!

What's in store for the next book in the series?

After the Gamer Squad
saves the town from not-so-virtual monsters in book one, we move from summer to
the first month of school. In book two (CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE NERD KIND), the
kids are hooked on a new game called Alien
Invasion. When they go on a field trip to an observatory and play the game
too close to a radio telescope, they accidentally summon real aliens to town. And
in book three (APP OF THE LIVING DEAD) the kids must save their town from
zombies and the game development company that has been causing all this
trouble.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

August. It's not a particularly inspiring or noteworthy month -- unless you are noting humidity levels here in the south! Which makes it a perfect writing challenge for students: write a poem about August.
When I do writing workshops, one of the things I have students do is come up with 10 words to describe whatever topic we're writing about. This might generate a list like the following (for "August"):

hot
humid
long
boring
dry
popsicle
dog
swimming
sleepy
sun

... which is a perfectly fine list! But guess what, students? SCRATCH THROUGH ALL THOSE WORDS. Let's move on to the next ten, and the next! Digging deeper, past the cliches, past the expected, is where all the best poems are buried.

Eventually we might come to these 8 words -- and write a poem:

lake

hazy

eclipse (for August 2017, at least!)

hope

bridge

weeds

beginning

russet

August

russet weeds

frame sturdy bridge –

our hazy hopes

eclipse the lake

as we row

into a new beginning

- Irene Latham

Indeed, kids start school in these parts next week. Our youngest son is entering his senior year! Which means we will be spending more and more time without kids at our (new-to-us!) lake house. (For more on this, be sure to visit my post today over at Live Your Poem!) If we're lucky, we might even glimpse the eclipse. Either way, August to me is a "bridge month," during which we cross over from summer to fall... from lethargy to productivity... from hazy to crisp. I'm excited!
-----------------

Irene Latham is the author of more than a dozen current and
forthcoming poetry, fiction and picture books for children and
adults, including Leaving Gee's Bend, 2011 ALLA Children's
Book of the Year. Winner of the 2016 ILA Lee Bennett Hopkins
Promising Poet Award, she also serves as poetry editor for Birmingham
Arts Journal. www.irenelatham.com

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

I'm not going to use the "B" word, or even the "WB" word, because I'm Irish, and inviting blockage of the writerly kind is just plain bad juju.

So what do you do if you are having trouble accessing
that middle-grade or YA voice?And like many of us, you haven’t been that age in a really long
time…

But there are some things that you never forget.Some things stay with you forever, like . . .

. . . your most embarrassing moments.

. . . the first time a friend betrayed you.

. . . when you first found that person who “got” you,
and you knew you’d be friends forever.

. . . that time you wanted to run away from home.

. . . when you got your first crush and you couldn’t let
anyone know, because you were sure that he or she didn’t feel the same way.(Or he was looking at Sherry and her
group of pretend-leather-vinyl-jacket-wearing friends, instead.)

. . . something that absolutely terrified you.

. . . something that made you deliriously happy . . .

My mother saved everything.If you happen to have old boxes of
school projects or writing or ideally, an old diary…or yearbooks or old report cards.You might find that those middle-grade
or young adult memories come rushing back—sometimes with a vengeance!

Write the book that’s inside of you.I think your best story comes out when
you are not worried about trends or style or genre.Don’t worry about rules or conventions.

No matter what your intended audience or genre, I’d
like to leave you with a Flannery O’Connor quote:

“I am not afraid that the book will be
controversial. I’m afraid it will
not be controversial.”

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Smack Dab is getting a bit of a spruce up, as several new regular bloggers are being added to the mix! We've had such a great lineup of bloggers through the years--writers and illustrators both--and I'm excited to see what a new crop of voices will add to our site.